The Prophecy is No More
by KittyKatly
Summary: The Prophecy is no more. In a world where the the prophecy doesn't exist. Merlin and Arthur never met. They pick two different paths, changing the future forever. - AU
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** _Hi guys! This is my first ever Merlin Fanfiction, so I hope I did a good job at it. This story is going to be about how things would be different if the prophecy didn't exist, at least the bit about the Once and Future King. But more importantly, what would happen if Merlin didn't meet Arthur, at least not yet. This will be a multi-chapter fic, and just so you know, my updating schedule will be random. I will try to update as soon as the next is written._

 **Disclaimer:** _Unfortunately, I do not own Merlin. If I did, Arthur would still be alive._

 **Prophecy is No More**

 **Chapter 1**

Merlin stared at the burning stool in fear. He didn't mean to do it, he really didn't. It just . . . happened. One moment, he was getting angry at his friend, Will, and the next moment, he felt his magic slip and the stool was burning. Just like that.

Merlin moved his eyes to look at Will, who fell on the floor in shock the moment the stool started burning. Will stared at the stool . . . then at Merlin . . . then back at the stool . . . then at Merlin again. Merlin watched his expression change from shocked to confused to panicked when the fire started spreading on the floor.

Will instantly grabbed a bucket of water and doused the fire out, all while Merlin stared at the burnt patch on the floor with panicked and fearful eyes.

Will dropped the bucket by a corner with a sigh. He looked at Merlin with wide questioning eyes. "Ok, what the hell was that?"

Merlin looked up at Will. "I didn't mean to do it." He whispered, "I didn't, I really didn't. It just happened. I'm sorry."

"Did you just use magic?" Will demanded, the bewilderment evident in his voice.

Merlin nodded reluctantly. He watched his friend's eyes widen, growing bigger than the last time.

"It all makes sense now." Will said thoughtfully looking over to the side.

Merlin blinked, not exactly understanding what Will is saying. "What?"

"To be honest I suspected that you had magic for a long time."

No, it can't be. Merlin thought he and his mother were doing a decent job of covering it up, but guess not. If Will knew, then who else did? Merlin really needed to learn to control his magic, or Sooner or later, more people will start to take notice. Then he'd be dead, and Merlin really didn't feel like dying at 17. Especially for something he couldn't control.

"There were many incidents that pointed to you," Will looked Merlin in the eyes. "But I chose to ignore those signs, telling myself that you couldn't possibly be a sorcerer." Will continued, with an unreadable expression on his face.

Merlin gulped, fearing that Will will go out and tell people that he was a warlock. Then he'd be as good as dead.

"But then again, you seem to barely be able to control it. So I'm guessing it wasn't on purpose?"

Merlin shook his head, "No, of course not. I would never do anything like this on purpose."

"Of course," Will's lips quirked up a into a slight smile."Don't worry I won't tell."

Merlin exhaled, letting go of the breath he didn't know he was holding. Then he wondered why Will would be willing to keep his secret, especially when sorcerers were believed to be evil by most people. "Why?" He settled on asking.

Will shrugged. "Well, because, I know you and you won't do anything 'evil'. And the magic looked more like instinct than you, doing it on purpose." Will smiled a little. "So, don't worry, I won't tell."

Merlin exhaled once more, feeling gratitude towards his friend.

"If . . ."

Merlin tensed up again, almost expecting Will to make him do something horrible. _Almost._

" . . . you make me a cup of never ending ale."

Merlin exhaled once more and laughed along with Will, relief washing over him.

"I don't even know if you can do that. And I'm not that good of a sorcerer." Then Merlin added, "Thanks Will."

"No problem Merlin, Sorcerer Extraordinaire."

Merlin frowned, "Yeah, I really don't deserve that title."

"Whatever you say, Merlin Uptight Sorcerer Extraordinaire."

"I'm not uptight!"

Will patted his shoulder in a friendly way, "Sure, Merlin, sure."

They joked around for awhile longer until Will stopped and stared at the stool, which was all charred wood and ash by now. "You know, we should clean that up before your mother comes back."

Thinking of his mom and her reaction dampened his mood, she is not going to be happy when she find out. "Of course! She is going to have a heart attack when she finds out."

And so, Merlin went to grab a broom to clean up the ash while Will proceeded to throw out the charred wood. Merlin was just starting to sweep the floor, when the door swung open, revealing his mother.

Merlin and Will froze their movements, they shared a fleeting glance at each other and waited for Merlin's mother, Hunith to notice the charred object.

"So, Merlin, I brought some bread and chicken today. And I was hoping we could invite Will over for dinner . . ." Hunith continued talking, setting down the bag of food, not even looking at Merlin and Will. Finally after much talking, she noticed Merlin and Will with the charred objects.

Hunith gasped, her hands flying to her open mouth. "W-What happened?" The her eyes widened in an unusual size. "Merlin, did you-" She trailed off, but Merlin knew exactly what she was asking.

Merlin nodded his head, suddenly interested in his boots.

"MERLIN! How often should I tell you to be careful with your magic! Do you have ANY idea what will happen if people find out? MERLIN, look at me!" He lifted his head and looked into his mother's worried gaze. "I can't afford to lose you." She whispered as she approached her son and affectionately cupped his cheek in her hand.

The she rounded on his friend, who was respectively standing by and letting them have their moment. "Will-"

Hunith was cut short when Will said, "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

Hunith sighed in relief, and smiled at him. "Thank you, Will. You've always been a good friend of Merlin's."

"Uh . . . No problem."

After an awkward silence where nobody knew what to do, Hunith finally spoke up, "Will, will you excuse us? We have to talk about some things."

"Of course." Will said walking out of the house. "Good bye, Merlin. See you later." He waved and was gone just as soon.

Merlin held his breath and waited for the tirade of yelling he was about to receive from his mother.

]_[ ]_[ ]_[

 _Six months later . . ._

Merlin arrived home earlier than expected. He was hanging out with Will, when Will's mother asked him to help him out with something. Merlin had to leave to let Will help his mother with that mysterious something. So, Merlin had to come back home, having nothing else to do outside.

He silently opened and closed the door, not wanting to disrupt whatever his mother was doing. Merlin froze when he heard an unfamiliar male voice coming from a different room. Merlin hid behind the half-closed door and listened to the conversation.

 _"I am here to talk to you about your son."_

Merlin suppressed a gasp. They were talking about _him_.

"I-is it about his magic?" Said the nervous tone of his mother.

 _"As a matter of fact, it is."_

"W-What do you w-want with him?"

 _"We don't |want anything from him. I am just here to offer him a chance to live with his kind in the Druid camp."_

"Why?"

 _"He is a very powerful sorcerer. He is destined to be our leader."_

There was a pause, a very long pause. Merlin resisted the urge to peek in the room.

 _"Do not fear, dear Hunith. Merlin shall be safe with us."_

Another long pause followed and soon he heard a silent footstep leaving the house.

Merlin sat down by the door, contemplating what he just heard. Who was that? Why had he come? Who were the Druids? We're the Druids some sort of group consisted of magical people? Was his mother really going to send him to them?

Ever since that day Will found out about his magic, his mother has been eager to get him away from his friend, afraid that Will will reveal him. So, Merlin thought his mother was going to send him to Camelot, where he was supposed to learn to control his magic with an old physician. Maybe she was considering to send him off to the Druids. Whoever the hell they were.

Right now, Merlin decided to simply ignore his little eavesdropping and let his mother tell him whenever she was ready. Merlin snuck to the outside door and closed it rather loudly to make it seem as if he just arrived.

His mother came out of the room and greeted him with a hug. "Merlin, I'm glad you're here." She said, relief lacing her voice. "You're rather early today." Hunith added with a smile.

"Yeah, Will had to help his mother with something."

Hunith smiled, then she started ordering him to do some of the chores around the house.

]_[ ]_[ ]_[

 _Three weeks later . . ._

Merlin was shaken out of his sleep by a firm hand and a vaguely familiar voice calling his name.

"Merlin"

Merlin sleepily turned over to his side and feeling annoyed, swatted the hand away. "Not now, I need to sleep."

"Merlin, please wake up, sweetie."

Merlin grunted, not willing to wake up _at /ll_. He grudgingly opened his eyes and as the world came into focus, saw his mother's concerned gaze on his sleeping form. By further observation, It was still quite dark, probably a couple hours away from dawn. He slowly sat up in his confusion, looking at his mother with a questioning gaze.

"Mother, what's going on?" He asked.

"Come Merlin. You must get dressed. We are going to a place where you'll be safe." Hunith lovingly smiled at her son, truly believing what she said.

Merlin frowned, "Where?" Where could his mother possibly be taking him at the middle of the night? Why couldn't they just go there in the morning?

Hunith didn't answer but simply continued smiling, then she handed her son a bag, telling him to pack some clothes, and to get dressed.

Merlin did as he was told, sensing that his mother won't answer his questions. As he was fixing his neckerchief, her mother came up behind him and handed him a dark cloak. Surprised, but still taking the cloak. Merlin wore the cloak and slung his bag over his shoulders.

As the sun peeked over the horizon, Merlin and his mother made over to the depths of the forest. After half an hour of trailing after his mother through the unfamiliar part forest, Merlin finally worked up the courage to ask the question that he'd been denied answers to in the house. "Mother, where are we going?"

She continued walking, ignoring the question. Merlin asked again, with the same result. He grabbed her shoulder, stopping her from walking any further. "Mother, where are we going?"

"To a Druid camp."

A Druid camp? Is it about the man she talked to three weeks ago? Seeing his confusion, Hunith elaborated on her answer.

"The Druids are sorcerers, but peaceful ones. They are going to watch over you like their own."

Shocked, Merlin stood still. What? Mother was going to send him off to some strangers? Let alone, _sorcerers_? Why?

"Merlin, it is for the best. They are going to teach you to control your magic. I think it will be good for you."

Merlin simply nodded. Not exactly sure how he should feel over the situation. It wasn't exactly something simple, he was about to go to a whole new place with other people like /him. Should he be happy? Sad? Angry even? He didn't know, so he followed his mother deeper into the forest, to a place he's never been.

]_[ ]_[ ]_[

They've been walking for more than 4 hours (taking a break, once in awhile), until they finally arrived at the Druid encampment. Well, more like a village . . . with tents. Merlin looked around him with wonder, adults were freely using their magic to do basic chores while children played magical games, their laughter spreading to make the scene look more peaceful. Merlin turned to look at his mother and found that she looked awed as well.

As Merlin followed his mother into the camp, the people around them stopped their activities to stare at the two newcomers. It was probably unusual to see anyone new entering the camp. A hooded figure approached the newcomers seeing them coming in their camp.

The figure put his hood down revealing a man in his 40s with short brown hair, brown eyes and slight wrinkles from stress. When he spoke, Merlin recognized the man's voice from the time he eavesdropped on his mother.

"Welcome to our Druid camp, Hunith." The man said. "I believe we should go somewhere more private." He added looking around to see the Druids staring at them.

Hunith nodded and they were led into a larger tent near the centre of the camp. Once inside, the three people sat around a low table.

"Welcome Emrys, we've been expecting you for quite some time." The man said, confusing Merlin. What's even more confusing was the fact that the Druid said it looking right into his eyes and to make it even more confusing, he bowed his head in respect. To _Merlin_. To him of all people.

"I am Eldric, the chief this Druid camp." The Druid man, Eldric, continued ignoring Merlin's obvious discomfort. "I am honored to have you here, Emrys."

"I-I think you've got the wrong person. You see, my name is Merlin, not Emrys."

"Indeed, it is. Merlin is merely your given name, but Emrys is the name that's been foretold, Emrys is the most powerful sorcerer to walk the earth."

Merlin chuckled at the irony of the situation. Him? A powerful sorcerer? He could barely get his magic under control! "No, no. That's definitely not me."

Eldric raised his eyes brows, "I see you doubt your powers."

Merlin looked to his mother for help, to tell Eldric that he is mistaken. Maybe after hearing this, his mother would change her mind and they would go back to Ealdor. But his mother just gave him a 'look', he wasn't sure what to make of the 'look'. One thing was obvious, his mother seemed concerned.

"Merlin, even if you are not the one they are talking about, I think staying here, with the Druids will be good for you." Hunith said, looking her son straight in the eyes.

Merlin's shoulders sagged, he really didn't want to stay with them. But his mother seems to think its a good idea. And if all those years being raised by her taught him anything, is that his mother would never change her mind if she thinks something is a good idea.

Hunith cupped her hand on his cheek. She spoke, her voice comforting and soft. "Merlin, don't worry, they promised me that you would be safe. They are going to teach you the good you can do with your magic." Hunith kissed her son's forehead. "I think I should be going now." Hunith said, standing up. "Please keep him safe, Eldric."

Eldric bowed his head in acknowledgement. Merlin stood to hug his mom, they stayed like that for a moment, his mother whispering comforting words to him and finally saying goodbye. Taking one last look at her son, Huntih walked out of the tent.

Merlin watched her leave with sadness filling his eyes. He stayed like that for a moment thinking about the drastic change in his life. Even with something like this happening, he couldn't help but get the feeling that it wasn't supposed to be like this.

]_._._[

 **A/N:** _Ta-da! So what do you think? The first chapter. To make things clear, there is no Once and Future King (but there is Arthur). But there is Emrys, who is just a powerful sorcerer that doesn't have a destiny to bring back magic and to unite Albion. That's all. Ok? Good! ('Cause, who doesn't like the idea of Merlin being an all powerful sorcerer?)_

 _Anyways, what do you think? Merlin is a Druid now. Interesting, eh? At least it's going to get interesting. Things are going to change, not all the episode are going to turn out the way it was. It is going to be very different. I hope you guys are going to like it._

 _Thanks for reading! Please review, I would love to know what you think of it._


	2. Chapter 2

**The Prophecy is No More**

 **Chapter 2**

Two months ago, Merlin was sent to a Druid camp. Two months ago, he was sent to a place he's never been. Two months ago, he has been meeting new people. Two months ago, he started practicing magic. Two months ago, he was told of him being a powerful warlock named Emrys, who was destined to lead the Druids.

Merlin had to admit, he enjoyed being a Druid, except for the constant fear of their camp being revealed. But, to be honest, it has got to be the best month of his life. He learned to control his magic. He learned new spells, already finishing a quarter of the beginners spell book.

And to top it off, he was living with people like him, all sorcerers, except for a rare few. Nobody looked down upon him for practicing magic in public, which otherwise would get his head chopped off. It was like a breath of fresh air. No more of the suffocating need to constantly hide his magic in front of people

Eldric (the chief of this Druid camp and Merlin's magic teacher) told him that he was very good at magic, already doing spells in his first tries that would normally take days or even weeks to master. Guess being the most powerful sorcerer has its perks.

In addition to learning magic, Merlin's been taught the ways of the Old Religion and its history along with the ways of the Druids or anything that's magical. Eldric says that he will be an expert by the end of the year, especially since he likes to spend his time in the library. Well . . . as close to a library as you can get in an encampment that's meant to be taken down easily so that they could flee anytime.

The library was technically another tent (among the many identical ones) that consisted of a rickety old table and chairs stacked with books of all sorts. Some books were even scattered on the floor. What can you expect? There's no need for neatness if you have to run at any moment.

Then there was the problem with people constantly calling him Emrys. He's been telling them to just call him Merlin, but no matter what (those stubborn Druids) they just kept on calling him Emrys. And to add to that, everybody seems to know him. Whenever he passes by them they'd stop whatever they were doing to either stare at him or bow. He didn't like the attention, and he didn't think he'd ever get used to it

All of the things he's been learning, came down to one thing and one thing only; his destiny to be the leader of the magical society (especially the Druids). He's been told of his role to protect and lead no matter what. Be the most powerful warlock, use your magic for good. That's what he's been taught

But enough with what Merlin did in the last two months. Right now, at this very moment, he was trying (and failing) to use a healing spell on a rather long cut. He smiled sheepishly at the dark haired boy, ( _what's his name? Declan? He looks the same age as me_ ) embarrassed that he couldn't heal a simple cut

" _Þurhhæle dolgbenn_ " Merlin cast the spell again, but failed for the tenth time that day. He withheld a frustrated sigh and tried to look like the all-powerful warlock he was supposed to be.

Declan laughed, at least tried not to, but it came anyway. Merlin tried not to glare, but couldn't help it. Seeing the glare, Declan started laughing full on, not being able to keep it in anymore.

Five more minutes flew by with Declan still trying to stifle his laughter. He clutched his stomach with his hand and flicked away a stray tear from his eyes. All the while, Merlin's glare intensified. He could almost feel Eldric looking at them with an amused smile. He crossed his arms and harrumphed.

Finally the laughter died down, with Declan just looking at him with a smile. "I'm sorry about that, Emrys. But I thought that being the all-powerful warlock will make things easier."

"It does! It's just this stupid healing spell!" Merlin whined

"Oh, all right. Just blame it on the spell." Declan said with a roll of his eyes. If Merlin looked behind him, he'd notice the disapproving look Eldric was giving Declan. Declan dropped his teasing smile, remembering who he was talking to. "I'm sorry, Emrys. I shouldn't have spoken to you with such disrespect. I apologize for la-"

Merlin held up a hand before Declan could continue. He grinned, glad that at least _someone_ in this encampment could talk to him normally. "There's no need for that. I'm just glad that you can talk to me like I'm a normal person."

"Of course," Declan said with a smile.

Eldric put a hand on Merlin's shoulder to get his attention. Merlin looked up, puzzled as to why he did that.

"Shall I heal him instead?" Eldric asked.

Merlin's face flushed red with embarrassment and remembered exactly why they were here in the first place. He nodded, knowing that he won't be able to heal Declan

" _Þurhhæle dolgbenn_ " Eldric's eyes flashed gold. Merlin watched in awe as the cut slowly closed itself and in seconds, there was no trace of it left.

"Emrys, your lesson for today is over. Let's leave the young man to rest, shall we?" Merlin nodded and allowed Eldric to guide him out the tent. But before he went, he was stopped by a quick goodbye from Declan.

"Goodbye, Emrys"

"Goodbye, Declan," Merlin said and stopped mid-way, turning his head to look at the young man. _Call me Merlin_. He telepathically called out to Declan.

]_[ ]_[ ]_[

 _Four months later . . ._

Merlin's eyes flashed gold making a small tree branch fall. Declan looked up and he only had a few seconds to dodge the attack. He swerved out of the way and quickly muttered a spell, making a fireball appear in his hands. He launched it at Merlin, who caught it in his hands and threw it back at Declan. Declan put up a shield, but the sheer force of the fireball threw him back on the ground.

Merlin grinned, "I win again, Declan!" He then sauntered over to his friend and offered a hand. Declan grudgingly took it and he stood up with the help of Merlin's hand.

Declan brushed off some of the dirt that clung to his clothes, never wavering in his glare. "I'm going to win next time, you'll see."

Merlin's smile grew and he found himself smiling ear to ear. "Sure."

Declan had trouble containing the smile that threatened to show itself, but finally he let it slip. It was hard not to smile when Merlin was giving him that look, he had that effect on people.

Ever since that faithful day during another one of Merlin's lesson, Declan became a friend of sorts. He was the only Druid who talked to him like he was a normal person, not Emrys and definitely not the all-powerful warlock. Merlin missed being normal and Declan was the only one that gave him that feeling of normal-ness. Declan was the only one in the encampment that called him Merlin, the other Druids just seem to forget that _Emrys_ is not really his given name. _Emrys_ -as Merlin liked to call- was his _magical_ name. But Eldric insisted on calling Emrys his _prophetic_ name.

Before he could think of a smart comeback, a voice in his head called out to the two boys

 _Emrys, Declan_

Merlin furrowed his eyebrows and looked at Declan to find that he looked puzzled as well.

 _Emrys, Declan_

"I think it's Eldric." Declan said, to which he received a distracted nod from Merlin.

Merlin reached out to the voice and indeed it was Eldric. _What's wrong, Eldric?_ He called out

 _Emrys, we are being attacked by Camelot's knights._ You must go to the cave where we are to regroup.

Dread filled Merlin's heart at what he just heard. _Camelot's knights?_ _What are they doing here? How did they find us?_

 _We will talk later, but you must go to the cave for your own safety._

 _No_ , Merlin said firmly. And how could he? How could he go to the cave while countless people were being mur-don't even think about it-captured. He couldn't just sit tight while many of them ran for their lives. And what did Eldric say again? _You are Emrys, the most powerful warlock to ever live. You are prophesied to be our leader and our protector._ If Merlin was going to be their leader and their protector, he wasn't just going to leave them to be hunted down by the knights.

 _Emrys, please. You must go._

 _No, I have to get everyone to safety._

Merlin looked at Declan (who was silently listening to their mind argument) with a determined expression, Merlin was about to open his mouth to tell him to go to the cave but was stopped.

"Merlin, I'm not about to leave my people to die. I'm coming with you."

Merlin nodded, "Then what are we waiting for?" Merlin slipped on his cloak and headed for the encampment with Declan in tow. Merlin stopped when suddenly an arrow whizzed by his face.

]_[ ]_[ ]_[

Arthur saw two hooded figures walking into the encampment. He took out his crossbow and shot at them. Disappointed that he didn't get them, he simply guided his horse to Leon, who's dragging along two young druids.

Arthur had to admit, he didn't like attacking druid camps. It just feels wrong to attack defenseless people. But then again, they are _sorcerers_. And sorcerers are _evil_. They wouldn't hesitate to attack the innocents of Camelot. And it was necessary to get rid of them before they do can more harm.

That is why Arthur was here, at a Druid camp, by his father's command. This is his second time attacking them, once he did last year (he was 18 at the moment) near the Darkling Woods. He couldn't fathom why those sorcerers would stay so close to Camelot. Anyways, that's not the point.

A couple days ago, a simple villager came to have an audience with the king. He claimed to have seen a couple druids pass by their village for supplies. He suspected that their camp would be nearby and asked the king to check. Well he told the king that, right after giving the usual _sorcerers-are-bad_ speech (which was really a formality to get the king's favor).

So now, here he was, after a day and a half of searching. Attacking the sorcerers that threatened their peaceful lives.

Arthur mounted off his horse to help Sir Leon guide the two young sorcerers to the cage. They've caught a few druids, but some were lying lifeless on the ground from their attacks. Leon shoved them in and Arthur could hear the two sorcerers whimper in fear. Good. They should fear us. They've committed a crime by learning the dark art.

When he turned around around, he noticed that some of his knights and soldiers were lying limply on the ground. Arthur couldn't tell if they were unconscious or dead, hopefully not the latter. This didn't happen before, sure a lot of knights get hurt in these excursions, but never that many.

Arthur narrowed his eyes at the small battlefield, looking for anything out of the ordinary.

]_[ ]_[ ]_[

Merlin cast a spell over a knight's sword to heat it up. The knight gave out a cry and dropped his sword, making room for the mother and child to run.

 _Thank You._ He heard the mother's voice in his mind. Merlin gave a quick smile to her and hardened his expression at the knight who was still cursing his burned hand. Merlin thrust out his hands, his eyes flashing gold. The knight was thrown back against a tree, unconscious.

Merlin allowed a quick smile at his victory and looked back to make sure Declan was doing all right. Merlin was happy to have disarmed a lot of the soldiers in small ways for the druids to escape. But there was still one problem. The cage.

The cage was where a lot of them were held captive, surrounded by many guards and by someone who he could only assume was the prince. He put his hood closer to hide his face and made his way to the prince. Quickly channeled a thought to Declan to make sure that everyone was safely in the cave. He cursed under his breath when the prince noticed him and commanded everyone around the cage to be on high alert.

]_[ ]_[ ]_[

Arthur noticed a hooded man throw a knight against the tree _without_ touching him and suspected that he was the same person who disarmed most of his soldiers. The man made his way to them, obviously trying to be sneaky but failing miserably. Arthur commanded the knights to get ready for the attack that was sure to come.

To his surprise the mysterious hooded figure only spoke. "Let them go and this can end peacefully."

Yeah right! As if Arthur was going to listen to some sorcerer about _peace_. "And why would I listen to you? You are outnumbered, we could take you down with just one blow."

"I can take you down with less."

 _Is he bluffing?_ The sorcerer held out his hands as if to cast a spell over them. _Probably not._ Must be a very powerful sorcerer if he thinks he can take them all down. But there's still a chance that the sorcerer was bluffing to scare them off, which was definitely not working on him-ish.

The sorcerer seemed to notice his discomfort. "Aw, are you scared? Do need daddy's men to protect you?"

Arthur glared at the evil sorcerer. How dare he mock him in such a manner! "Do you know who you're talking to?"

"As a matter of fact, I do."

"Well, then, you should know to not talk to me with such disrespect." Chills went down his spine when he caught a small smile-no, smirk-from the sorcerer.

"Don't be such a prat. I was just stating the facts."

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Don't be such a prat, _your highness._ " The sorcerer did a mock bow.

His anger was getting the best of him and Arthur found himself seething in his spot. Arthur barked out an order to attack the sorcerer. When all of a sudden, all his knights were throw back by an invisible force. He remained there as the only one standing, staring at the sorcerer with horror. He tried to school his features into something he hoped looked threatening.

"If you'll excuse me, I have to free them from the cage."

Arthur's glare hardened, he was never going to let his get to the cage. He held his sword his in hands and charged, shouting out a battle cry. All of a sudden, he felt his body going weightless and something seemed to hit his head, then everything went black.

]_._._[

 **A/N:** _Ta-Daaaa! New chapter! What do you guys think? Good? Bad? Ok? Not what you expected? Or maybe you did. I don't know. And well, it ended in a cliffhanger. But hopefully you can guess what happens. Yes? No? Maybe? I think I'll just tell you. So, basically, Merlin frees the druids they go to the cave I mentioned and regroup. And Arthur is just unconscious. Don't worry, not dead. I won't let him die before the climax of the story, who do you think I am? And then . . . um . . . he'll go back to Camelot. I'm pretty sure you can guess what happens after that._

 _One more thing, since I don't have a Beta (as if I ever did), I will definitely make mistakes and it would be nice if you could could point them out to me. Thank You!_

 _Wait! Don't go yet! I would like to thank all who reviewed chapter 1. I'm glad you guys liked it. And I would like to reply to the guest reviews here._

 _Guest: Thank You! I'm glad you think it's interesting! Hopefully this chapter lives up to you expectation._

 _catherine10: That sounds like a really good idea, but unfortunately I have some other things planned for this story. I agree with you, I think it would be nice for them to meet like that. Maybe after this story, I could write a story like that._

 _So, bye-bye! Until next time! Please review and tell me what you think of it so far._


	3. Chapter 3

**The Prophecy is No More**

 **Chapter 3**

Merlin hid behind a tree with Declan. Ever since the attack last week, there's been more patrols from Camelot around the area. They were still hiding out in the cave, until the right time came for them to move to a safer place.

Declan tapped his shoulder and pointed at a group of knights riding along the path. "What are we going to do, Merlin?"

"We have to distract them." Merlin said. He looked around for anything that looked helpful. When his gaze settled back on Declan, he noticed the little smirk on his lips. Declan started chanting a spell, his eyes flashing gold for a moment. Merlin followed his gaze, which was concentrated on a huge bush. The bush moved, as if someone was walking through it. The knights noticed it and went towards it, disappearing behind the trees.

Merlin grinned, "Nice one."

"Thanks," Declan smiled back. "We should get back to the cave."

Merlin nodded and they made their way to the cave, that was not-so-subtly hidden. They immediately went to Eldric, who was talking to some of the other druids.

Eldric's eyes lit up when he saw them. "Is it safe to move?"

"Yes, but we have to be quick." Merlin replied. Eldric nodded and went to inform the druids to pack up. Merlin and Declan split up, both of them going to pack their belongings, which wasn't much. After packing as quickly as possible, he made his way back to Eldric and Declan, who were gathering everyone at the entrance of the cave.

Eldric put them into three small groups, as to not attract too much attention. One with Eldric at the lead, the other with Merlin and another with a fellow druid and Declan. They were going three separate ways, with Merlin's group going to the left and deep into the forest.

They planned on moving to Cendred's kingdom, near a small village, but far enough from it to not get caught. It was a day's walk, especially with children who were sure to get tired easily. The journey was especially dangerous with so many patrols who were bent on finding and eliminating them.

Which brought him back to the attack from last week. Anger boiled within him just by thinking about it. Merlin hated him, by him he meant the prat, by prat he meant Prince Arthur. How dare he attack their camp? They were defenseless, there were children, innocent children that didn't deserve to be hunted down like animals. And Merlin hated him for it (and Uther, the one that started it in the first place). Why can't people just understand that magic is not evil, but it's the heart of the user that matters? Why? There's no point in thinking about it now, he had to keep everyone safe.

They silently made their way through the forest, no one talking and no one snapping a single twig. They were scared, Merlin could tell. He was scared too, but he had to put on a brave front for them. The walk was silent, luckily for them, it went without trouble. Merlin looked up at the sky, it was mid-afternoon and by the looks of it, everyone was tired, which was expected since they've been walking for hours.

Merlin spotted a nearby lake, he smiled and turned to address the group. "There's a lake over there and I think we should stop to take a break."

Everyone agreed and went to either rest or eat some snacks. Merlin himself had only a small piece of bread and he rested his tired body against a tree, watching the druids as they went through their business.

His thoughts wandered off to Prince Prat (Arthur) and King Prat (Uther) and he couldn't understand why they would want to kill such innocent people. But he shook his head out of those thoughts and thought of only one word, _protect_. Protect the his people. And that's exactly what he did.

After about thirty minutes, Merlin got everyone to start walking again, although quite grudgingly. Surprisingly, the next couple hours went without much trouble, which he was glad for, he really didn't feel like dealing with . . . well . . . anything.

Ironically, this had to be the time an arrow whizzed right past his face. Merlin sucked in his breath as his eyes widened. He turned around to check on the druids and relaxed when he found that they were safe, but still scared. He warily looked around for any signs of knights or bandits or anyone that'd likely attack them.

Suddenly battle cries erupted from the trees and bandits (phew, bandits) came running with axes, maces, swords and technically anything that's sharp and pointy. Merlin took on a battle stance, seeing in the corner of his eyes that the fighters in their group did the same and attacked with a spell already forming on his lips.

He sent a fireball shooting past a group of bandits, some managing to dodge but others getting somewhat incinerated in the process. In the corner of his eyes he saw a couple bandits flying back and hitting a tree, no doubt a work of one of the druids.

Merlin heard a scream, a child's scream, and spun around to find a little girl backed up against a tree with a bandit pointing a sword to her chest. He narrowed his eyes in anger, thinking of one word in particular, _protect._

Merlin rushed to the girl, he threw his hands forward, making the bandit fly back and away from the fight. He kneeled down and gently grabbed the girl's shoulder, looking at the sobbing girl in the eyes. "Are you okay?" He asked gently.

She nodded, still sobbing, but to his relief she started to stop. Merlin stood back up, keeping the girl close to him and shielding her from the bandits attack. As he threw another three bandits against a tree, he started to notice some bandits receding back into the trees while some stayed unconsciously on the forest floor.

Merlin sighed in relief when he looked around to find that most of the druids were alright. Merlin looked down at the girl, who hid behind him in fear. "It's okay, it's safe now." He said with a smile.

The girl simply looked up at him, then at the area and up at him again. She smiled back. _Thank You, Emrys._ He heard her grateful voice in his mind.

 _Your Welcome._ He said back to her. _What's your name?_ He asked out of curiosity.

"Kara!" A woman called and the girl spun around in recognition of the name. She beamed as she ran to the woman in question, embracing her in a hug. Merlin smiled at the happy sight, the girl - Kara - hugging, who he could only assume was the mother.

The mother let of the little girl and looked at him with a grateful smile. "Thank you, Emrys. How could I ever repay you?"

Merlin waved away the question. "There's no need, I'm just glad I could help."

The mother held Kara's hand and led her away from him, with Kara looking back at him with a smile on her face.

After that, Merlin went to check on any injured druids and tried to heal them. Not that he was good at healing magic or healing in particular, so he usually ended up making the healthy druids take care of the injured.

After that was done, Merlin gathered the druids in a group and started walking towards their destination again. Distantly Merlin wondered why _bandits_ ( _bandits_ of all people) would attack a group of sorcerers, there was a very high chance that /bandits would probably loose against the fight. _At least it wasn't the knights, then they'd all be on their way to the pyre._

It was nightfall by the time they made it well past the borders to Cendred's kingdom. Merlin knew that they were very close to the planned meeting place, but he decided that it would be best to not travel the rest of the way in the dark. So, everyone settled into their sleeping bags in exhaustion, planning on making their way in the morning.

]_[ ]_[ ]_[

Arthur was _frustrated_ to say the least. He was hungry, tired, sore from riding all day (actually, week) and he couldn't find the goddamn druids. They were either very good at hiding, or they were gone already.

So, Arthur thought it was a waste of time. Not that his father agreed. He was the one who sent him on this wild goose chase in the first place. Not that his father thought it was a wild goose chase.

Too bad ranting in his head won't fix anything. He hoped some miracle would drop by so that they could _finally_ capture the goddamn druids.

Ironically (or maybe not), this had to be the time they heard footsteps and the rustling of leaves.

"Sire, I think those might be the druids." Sir Leon stated out the obvious and Arthur had to withhold form rolling his eyes. He led the knights to the source of the noise, eager to get this over with.

Sure enough, it was the druids, although in a much smaller group then he remembered. Arthur gathered the knights around him and told them do of their plan.

The druids definitely won't expect them, so the knights got off their horses surrounding the unsuspecting druids. He gave them the signal and arrows started firing, some hitting their target while others missing. Then they charged into battle.

Arthur attacked, stabbing and slicing anyone in his way. He managed to tie their arms and legs.

A druid, probably in his forties with short brown hair and brown eyes, came up right in front of him. The man shot a fireball at Arthur, who dodged it, but not without getting his chainmail singed in the process.

The druid shot another fireball towards him, Arthur managed to dodge it again, but this time he was quick to run up to the druid. He sliced through the man's arms, making a deep gash appear.

Arthur ignored the blood and simply tied the man's arms and legs and brought him to the other captured druids.

After that process repeated itself with multiple other druids (but with different spells), the fight started to die down.

Soon enough, the knights found themselves with at least fifteen captured druids and a couple dead ones lying on the ground. By the looks of it, at least ten of them escaped. But it was still better than their last attack, and all these captured druids would surely satisfy his father.

Arthur felt slightly guilty as he looked at the faces of the woman, children and men they captured, especially the children. He felt sorry for the little ones that were to die so young, but then he remembered why they had to do it.

 _It is to rid the world of the evil that is sorcery._ Said a voice in his head that sounded strangely like his father's. Arthur suppressed the guilty feeling and basically dragged them to their campsite where the cages were.

In a couple hours, Arthur and his knights traveled back to Camelot with the captured druids.

]_[ ]_[ ]_[

Early in the morning, Merlin was woken up by a fellow druid who suggested that they travel early. Merlin agreed, and so they started walking right after having breakfast (which wasn't much).

In a couple hours, Merlin grinned when he saw Declan's group camping out at the meeting place.

Declan saw him too and his eyes lit up as he shouted, "Merlin!"

Merlin laughed, and shouted back. "Declan!"

The two friends ran to each other and Merlin was about to hug his friend, but remembered that he wasn't the hugging type. All around him, the other druids ran to their friends and family, happily greeting them.

"So, how's your trip been?" Declan asked.

Merlin shrugged, "Fine, I guess." Then he added, "But we were attacked by bandits."

Declan frowned, "Bandits? Why would bandits want to attack you?"

Merlin shrugged, he didn't know either and he was wondering the same thing earlier. "So, how did your trip go?"

"Smooth, no attacks at all, except for wolves."

Now it was Merlin's turn to frown. "Wolves?" Wolves live in that area? He didn't know that.

Declan laughed, "No, Merlin. Wolves don't even live in that part of the forest. I can't believe you actually believed that."

Merlin's face turned red in embarrassment. "I did not!"

"I know that you did for a second, Merlin."

"Whatever, Declan." Merlin said, slightly annoyed. "Have you seen Eldric's group yet?"

Declan shook his head. "No, but I think they will be here soon."

"Ok, so what should we do?" Merlin asked as he looked around at the happy faces of the druids.

"I don't know, you're Emrys. You're the one with the answers."

"That is not helpful, Declan."

"Whatever you say, _My Lord._ " Declan movked, smirking.

Merlin groaned, "Don't 'My Lord' me. That title is annoying. I already have enough people thinking that I'm some sort of god or something."

"I apologize, _My Lord_. What are we going to do?"

Merlin shot him a 'look' and decided to let it slip. He silently thought of their next move and could only think of one thing to do. "I think we should just make camp and wait for Eldric's group to arrive. Even if they do come here, it will probably take a awhile until we find a suitable place to stay."

Declan nodded and he already had that teasing smile on his face. "See? What'd I tell you? Emrys knows everything."

Before Merlin could answer in a witty way, another druid interrupted their playful banter. "Emrys, what shall we do?"

Merlin sighed, "Set up camp, we'll wait for Eldric's group to arrive." The Druid nodded and left to spread the word. Which left Declan and Merlin to constantly tease each other.

]_[ ]_[ ]_[

In the evening, Merlin and Declan were bored out of their minds, using up every silly joke they could think of and having basically nothing to talk about. But, of course, this had to be the time that a small group of druids came into their campsite.

Merlin and Declan ran to them, thinking that Eldric would be with them. Merlin counted at least ten, but he knew that Eldric had more people so he expected the rest of them to come anytime.

Merlin approached a man, his clothes were disheveled and there was a huge gash on his thigh. Worry shot through his heart at the sight, and he noticed that almost all of them appeared to be hurt one way or another.

Merlin told Declan to get the healers. The man wobbled on his feet and almost fell, but Merlin caught him in time. "What happened?" He asked the man.

"Emrys, w-we were a-attacked by knights." The man spoke, the exhaustion evident in his ruff voice. "T-They captured a-a lot of us."

Merlin nodded, and then he called out to a healer who immediately started healing the man.

Merlin looked for Eldric in the new group, but he couldn't find him. Eldric . . . oh no . . . he's . . . he's . . .

Declan put a comforting hand on his shoulder, knowing exactly what Merlin was thinking about. "I know that you are upset about . . . Eldric and . . . the others, but now that Eldric's gone, they expect you to take charge."

Merlin gulped, overwhelmed by the feelings of sadness in his chest. He took a shaky breath and slowly nodded his head. "I know." He said silently, wishing that he didn't have to take charge quite so soon, but having no choice. He wasn't ready, at all. And he just lost someone, that he liked, a lot. But he was Emrys and he had to put on a brave front for the people. _His people_.

The rest of the night everyone mourned for the people who died at the hands of Uther Pendragon.

]_[ ]_[ ]_[

Morgana sat in her throne as she watched Arthur confidently stroll into the throne room and bow before the King. Her heart clenched as raggedly dressed men, women and children were forced to stand before the king. And she wondered, _they were the threats Uther was talking about?_

She didn't understand. They looked as unthreatening as any normal men, women and children. But they looked worse for wear. Their hairs were a tangled mess, their clothes were thin linens, some of them ripped in places and their bodies were thin, so thin that she wondered how much they got to eat. The thing that caught her eyes the most,The was their wide eyed fear, and she realized, they were terrified of Uther. How can they be evil if they are so afraid?

Morgana glanced at Uther, he couldn't possibly execute them. They didn't even look like they could be killers out for revenge. They looked innocent and frightened and not evil. Definitely not evil. But when she looked at Uther, she could see that he didn't see what she did, he only saw the evil sorcerers in them.

Morgana didn't understand. She didn't understand how she was the only person in this room, _this city_ , that could feel sympathy for sorcerers. But her sympathy definitely won't change Uther's mind, no matter how persuasive she was. He was going to execute them anyway. Like he did to all the others as she had to stand by and hear their painful screams.

At dawn, she stood by her window, alone as the fifteen sorcerers' screams were heard in her mind. She went to her bed, tucking her knees close to her chest and tightly plugging her ears with her hands. If she had been more observant that day, she would've noticed the fire in her hearth flare up.

]_._._[

 **A/N:** _Hello! Phew! Finally done! And a really long story too. :D. And I ended this one with Morgana's POV. She was going to get her own POV anyway. Since Merlin, Arthur and Morgana were sort of the main three characters in Merlin. And because I really like the three. I thought this chapter would be a great way to introduce her and I think the ending was good too. After this, you'll be seeing Morgana's POV a lot more._

 _That was the first thing I wanted to say. Now let's move on to my second thing. Merlin in this story seems to hate Arthur, and since they didn't really meet yet, it's kind of expected. The only reason Merlin believe in Arthur (in the series) is because of their friend ship (oh, and don't forget destiny, that's how it all started). Merlin will seem more like a leader in this story than in the original series, since did do a little twist in the prophecy._

 _And Arthur . . . Well, he's still a prejudiced prat. (Merlin reference! Yes!)_

 _Oh, remember Kara, the little girl? And remember Kara, Mordred's girlfriend? The same person. (I'm soo evil!) Originally, I was planning on naming the girl Elaine or Elise or something like that. But then I had this brilliant idea. Why not name her Kara? That would make things interesting. Great idea don't you think?_

 _Lastly (not really) I would like to thank you for all the follows, reviews and favorites. Thank you. I tried to reply to all the reviews and I apologize if I missed one. Now, let's move on to my guest reviewers. I can't reply to you privately, but I can reply to you here._

 _Replies to the guest reviews:_

 _catherine10: Thanks! And don't worry, I will be updating this story. It'll just take a really long time, but i do try to update as fast as possible, unless there's something more important going on. ;)_

 _anthi35: Thanks! Hopefully this chapter was worth it._

 _Darthas: Hahahaha! Yup! I agree. Arthur will get knocked out a couple times in the story. You wanna know the fun part? (no, I'm not talking about some fancy knocking out skills) Morgana will be embarrassing Arthur, a lot. Like a lot. I already have a conversation planned in my head, now I just have to figure out where to put it._


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** _Hello there! Sorry for the long wait, but life got a little busy and I didn't have time to write this chapter. I'm sorry, I really am, but hopefully this chapter will make up for it._

 _Alright, so for this chapter, five months have already passed and everyone should be a year older by then. This chapter wil mainly be about Arthur and Morgana in the first two episodes of season one (without Merlin, mind you.) Enjoy! See you at the bottom!_

 **The Prophecy is No More**

 **Chapter 4**

Morgana watched on in horror as a man called Thomas James Collins was brought before the crowd, his arms bound and his head resting on the chopping block. Morgana tuned out the King's speech about the evils of sorcery, she didn't have to listen to know what he was going to say, it's been done a thousand times with the same old speech right before someone died.

She closed her eyes and looked away as the axe swung down to cut off the poor man's head. She counted backwards from three taking deep steady breaths to calm herself as the king continued his speech. Once Morgana opened her eyes, she heard a distressed cry from the middle of the crowd where the people were parting to reveal a haggardly old woman.

"There is only one evil in this land and it is not magic." The old woman cried out while pointing an accusing finger at the king. "It is you! With your hatred and your ignorance. You took my son! And I promise you, before these celebrations are over, You will share my tears. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and a son for a son." Then a swirling whirlwind surrounded her and by the time it receded, the woman was gone.

Morgana widened her eyes at the powerful act of sorcery and the obvious threat towards the prince. But she also felt sympathy for the woman that just lost her son to a beheading. Morgana couldn't imagine how painful that must be, losing a son, she knew that a bond between a mother and a son is irreparable. She knew how it felt like to lose a mother and a father, and she guessed that the woman would be just as miserable as she was when she lost her parents.

]_[ ]_[ ]_[

Morgana sighed, as she looked out the window in the hallway where she had a perfect view of the chopping block from earlier. That poor woman . . . It was the only thing she could think of. Losing a son like that . . . Must've been horrible.

Her thoughts were interrupted as the silent footsteps of the King could be heard approaching her.

"Morgana."

"Yes?" She acknowledged him as she turned to face his disbelieving expression.

"What is this? Why are you not joining us at the feast?" King Uther demanded his ward.

Morgana decided to be honest, lying or not, Uther knew how she felt about executions. "I just don't think chopping someone's head off is cause for celebration."

King Uther sighed in frustration (obviously not feeling the same way as her) as he looked away from her for a moment and back.

"That poor mother . . ." Morgana trailed off as she forlornly looked out the window once more.

"It was simple justice for what he'd done." Uther curtly replied.

"To whom?" Morgana questioned, showing her disbelief. "He practiced some magic. He didn't hurt anyone."

"You weren't around 20 years ago, you've no idea what it was like."

"How long are you going to keep punishing people for what happened then?"

"Until they realize there is no room for magic in my kingdom!" Uther almost yelled out that last sentence. He then switched tactics. "You will be with me when I greet Lady Helen." Uther ordered and started to walk away.

"I told you I want no part . . ."

He spun around at the protesting voice of his ward. "I am your guardian." He raised his voice once more. "I expect you to do as I ask. If you show me no respect, at least respect our finest singer." Then he walked off, loud footsteps echoing through the corridor.

"You know, the more brutal you are, the more enemies you'll create." Morgana called out one last jab at his royal highness, and even when she said it, she knew this to be very true.

]_[ ]_[ ]_[

"Where's the target?" Arthur demanded his stupid manservant (what's his name? Marvis? Monty?).

"There, sire." The man attempted to point at the target while holding a tray of- well, who cares?

"It's into the sun." Arthur stated, getting ready for a joke on his manservant's part.

"It's not that bright." The confused manservant (seriously, what's his name?) said.

"A bit like you then?" Arthur taunted, and he could hear all the knights snickering at the taunt.

The manservant (ugh, why the hell did he get hired?) ignored the laughter. "I'll put the target on the other side?" He asked, stuttering a little and Arthur smirked at that, enjoying the man's discomfort a little too much.

Suddenly an idea popped into his head, he turned to his friends as the manservant lifted up the target. "This'll teach him." Arthur muttered to the group as he grabbed his knife and threw it at the target as the unaware manservant went to set it up.

Laughter could be heard behind Arthur, and he too joined in the fun.

The manservant lowered the target so that Arthur could see his pitiful face. He rolled his eyes as the manservant told him to "Hang on!" Yeah, right, as if he'd let some servant tell him what to do.

So, Arthur simply spread out his hands and said, "Come on! Don't stop!"

The servant grunted as he took a couple steps to the side. Arthur sighed at his servant's idiocy. Seriously, why the hell did he get hired?

"Here?"

"I told you to keep moving." Arthur called back. He then got into position and threw the knife which planted itself right in the middle of the target. Bullseye!

The manservant 's horrified face looked back and forth between the smug prince and the knife in the target.

"Come on, run!" Arthur laughed a little as the last word left his mouth, which the exact time his stupid manservant registered what the prince wanted and started running back and forth.

"We want some moving target practice."

Laughter could be heard behind him as he kept the throwing knives at the target. Arthur released a frustrated sigh when the manservant dropped the target, which went rolling away from him. He stumbled after the target like some duck who doesn't know how to walk.

Meanwhile, Arthur turned to his knights and started complaining to them of what a horrible manservant the man is.

His manservants finally got ahold of the target and looked at Arthur expectantly.

"You are not only pitiful, but also clumsy." Arthur jeered. "I can't believe I actually hired you! You know what? Your fired!"

The manservant gaped at the prince and stuttered something indecipherable.

Arthur and his knights laughed at the pitiful expression. The man turned teary eyed, dropping the shield and ran away from the training field where the laughter of Arthur and his knights could be heard. _Oh, he'll never get tired of that._

]_[ ]_[ ]_[

Morgana knocked on Arthur's door and she walked right in without waiting for permission. She found the prince sitting by the table chucking a grape into his mouth. She slid into a chair right beside him and smiled innocently as he tried for a glare.

"Morgana, what are you doing here?" Arthur demanded, an annoyed frown marring his face.

Morgana tried for a mock look of offensiveness. "Arthur, is that anyway of greeting your friend?"

"You? Friend? Pfft, yeah right! You are a pain in the arse."

"Oh, Arthur, you're hurting my feelings." Morgana sarcastically said, then simply smiled all innocent-like.

Arthur released an exasperated sigh. "Seriously, what the hell do you want?"

"What makes you think I want something?"

"Obviously you do, otherwise you wouldn't be here."

"Can't I simply come here to have a nice chat with my friend?"

"Your idea of a 'nice chat' involves mocking me."

"Exactly."

Arthur blinked, once, twice, thrice, at the blunt way Morgana said it, and also that amused smirk of hers.

She then had the guts to just laugh at him. "Oh, Arthur, you should've seen your face!"

Blood rushed to his face and Arthur had the feeling that his face was bright red, if Morgana's continued laughter was anything to go by. "Morgana." He ground out, gritting his teeth.

"Is that the only thing you can say, Arthur?"

Arthur settled his death glare on her, which usually worked on any sane person, but according to Arthur, Morgana was anything but sane, which is why (in his logic) she was still laughing.

"Morgana, I will ask you again. What. Do. You. Want?"

Morgana stopped laughing and looked at him with an amused smile. "I heard you fired Morris."

Arthur frowned, not recognizing that name. "Who's Morris?" He asked in his confusion.

Morgana gave him an incredulous look. "You don't know who Morris is?"

Arthur slowly shook his head.

"You really don't know who Morris is?"

"I told you, no."

" . . . "

"Why? Am I supposed to know him?"

Morgana continued staring at him and sighed. "When are you going to let that egoistic head of yours deflate so that you know the names of the people that walk around you all the time?" She quickly stood up and walked towards the door.

Morgana looked him in his eyes one last time. "Morris was your manservant, you dolt!" She said and slammed the door shut, leaving a speechless Arthur behind.

]_[ ]_[ ]_[

"We have enjoyed 20 years of peace and prosperity. It has brought the kingdom and myself many pleasures, but few can compare the honor of introducing Lady Helen of Mora."

Every person in the banquet clapped their hands as Lady Helen prepared to sing. Arthur and every other noble focused their attention to the performance, showing his respects to the Lady.

Arthur felt himself nodding off as the ethereal voice of Lady Helen lulled him to sleep. He fought to keep his eyes open, but the soothing song told him to do otherwise. Eventually he gave up and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep.

Unbeknownst to him, Lady Helen aka Mary Collins, slipped out a knife from her sleeves. As she continued her singing, she stalked closer and closer to her target, the Prince of Camelot. Once she was close enough, she drew her arms back, aiming the knife at the prince's heart and threw with all her strength. The knife soared through the air, and Mary Collins watched with dread as the knife struck the prince's shoulder instead. She looked around in panic as her spell broke, waking everyone from their slumber.

Arthur jolted out of his sleep as he felt a searing pain in his shoulder. He let out a pained cry, shocking everyone from their sleep.

The king hearing the cry, looked around in confusion at the cobwebs strewn across each person. He finally registered the cry to his right and looked in horror at the injury in his son's shoulder.

"Gaius!" He yelled as he quickly went to his son's side.

Morgana jolted out of her seat at the desperate shout, while brushing off the cobwebs around her body. Her hands flew to her mouth as she gasped at the horrifying image of Arthur, the knife stuck in his shoulder, the enormous amount of blood bleeding through his clothes and his face pinched with pain.

Gaius rushed to Arthur's side as fast as his old legs would allow him. He observed the injury and called some guards over to take the prince to his chambers.

Meanwhile, the furious King turned his gaze to Lady Helen, who flickered back to looking like her old self.

"You tried to kill my son!" King Uther outrageous voice rang through the banquet hall. "Guards! Arrest her!"

Immediately several guards ran to seize the woman with swords and other weapons in hand. The guest all crowded around the exit doors, not willing to witness the fight between the sorceress and the King's guards.

The old woman used her magic to fight them off. A flash of gold here and there and the guards would be thrown back against the wall. As each guard fell more came rushing in and eventually she was overwhelmed. They cuffed her with magic binding handcuffs and brought her to the dungeons, thrashing and screaming while wishing a horrible death on Prince Arthur.

]_[ ]_[ ]_[

The next day, Morgana sat on a chair beside Arthur's bed, where the sleeping form of the prince could be seen under the plush white covers. A book was on her lap as she pretended to read, but really she was deep in thought, simply worried about the prince, who was like a brother to her. And it was also an excuse to not witness the execution of the prince's assassin, which was at noon, in other words, now.

She was broken out of her thoughts by the rustling of sheets. Morgana looked to her right to see Arthur coming to the world of the living.

"Welcome back, Arthur." She said with a slight smile on her face.

"Morgana?" He grunted out, the pain from the injury evident from the expression on his face as he shifted around to face her, at least tried to.

"Yes, Arthur, it's me. How are you feeling?" Morgana asked, showing her concern through her eyes.

"What do you think?" Arthur shot back.

Morgana pinned him with a look that said, ' _really, Arthur?_ '

"Sorry."

Morgana didn't say anything, instead, she grabbed a pitcher by the bedside table and poured a glass of water. "Water?" She asked. "You must be thirsty."

Arthur tried to nod his head, but gave up and simply said, "Yes." He tried to sit up by himself, the pain in his shoulders flaring up from the movement.

Morgana, seeing him struggle, helped him up and put the cup to his lips as he thirstily drunk from it. Then she help him settle in his bed once more.

"What? No thanks?" The amused voice of Morgana distracted him from the pain.

"You very well know that I don't do that."

"Well, too bad. A 'thank you' would've been appreciated."

Arthur sighed, exasperated. "Fine, thank you."

"What was that?" Morgana smirked.

"You heard what I said, I'm not going to repeat it."

Morgana laughed, "You know, Arthur. You're nicer when your injured."

"Are you telling me that I'm mean?"

"Sure am."

"I am not mean."

"Yes, you are."

"Alright, then tell me a time when I _was_ mean to someone." Arthur said, thinking that Morgana wouldn't be able to think of something. _Me? Mean? Never._ He thought to himself while mentally smirking.

"Let's see. Remember your last manservant? You fired him on his first day and you sent him running in tears. You also bully people that are lower than you. Now how is that for being mean?"

Arthur frown in realization. "If you put it that, it does sound bad."

"Exactly." Morgana stated bluntly, hoping that this talk will make him into a nicer person, or not, he might just continue his ways.

"Is that why your here? To make me feel bad? 'Cause the injury's doing a pretty good job on its own."

"I bet. But no, I'm here to help you and keep you company. Making you feel bad about yourself is just a bonus."

"Great." Arthur muttered under his breath. "This'll be torture." Morgana simply smirked and pretended not to hear it.

]_[ ]_[ ]_[

Morgana walked into Arthur's chambers to find him sitting by his desk and staring off into space. He was wearing a simple red tunic, peeking out the collar was the while bandage from his injury.

"Arthur!"

Arthur blinked, taken out of his thoughts by Morgana.

Morgana sighed and pulled up a chair beside him, sitting down. "Are you still upset that you can't join the tournament?"

"Of course I'm still upset about that!" Arthur fumed, punching the desk with his good arm, as if that would solve his problems.

"Arthur." She said sternly.

"What?"

Morgana rolled her eyes but still got into her caring mode. "I know you like to knock people out with your sharp pointy stick, but you're hurt and if you go out there, you'll hurt yourself even more. King Uther didn't let you join for a reason."

Arthur just turned his head away form her in anger, not at her, but in the situation. Morgana sighed, sensing that she wasn't welcome anymore, she slipped out the door.

]_[ ]_[ ]_[

"Why isn't Arthur at the reception? I thought Gaius gave him permission to leave his chambers." Gwen whispered to Morgana, just as another knight passed them.

"He did, Arthur's just too upset to meet his would-be opponents if he didn't get hurt." Morgana whispered back.

"So what's he doing right now?" Gwen questioned.

"Sulking in his room, of course." Morgana replied with a smirk.

Gwen released a short laugh as she shook her head at the prince's behavior. "Oh, Arthur. Is he always this annoying?"

"Apparently, yes." Morgana answered, almost immediately.

"-May I present Lady Morgana. My ward." Morgana was drawn out of her conversation with Gwen as King Uther introduced her to Knight Valiant.

Morgana smiled at the handsome knight as he lowered himself to kiss her hand. "My lady."

Her smile grew wider, and she wondered if he will be the one to win the tournament. "I saw you competing today."

"I saw you watching." Sir Valiant said. _Hm, charming_. "I understand the tournament champion has the honor of escorting my lady to the feast."

"That's correct."

"Then I will give everything to win the tournament." _Ooh, very charming_. Maybe he will escort me to the feast.

Morgana smiled after him as he walked away with a one last "My Lady."

]_[ ]_[ ]_[

Morgana tossed around in her bed that same night. Her pale face was drawn in a frown, there were sweat running down her forehead, and she was breathing heavily from the terrifying dream.

In the dream, she saw Sir Valiant fight in the final stage of the tournament with a knight named Sir Derek. Their swords clashed, the sound resonating through the air, and their shields coming in contact with the swords. After a couple more seconds, Sir Valiant managed the trip the other knight and pinned him to the ground using his shield.

In her dream, she zoomed in to find Sir Valiant muttering forbidden words, making snakes come out of the shield. Sir Derek widened his eyes in surprise and fear, he tried to squirm his way out of the yellow knight's tight grip, but to no avail.

"Kill him." Sir Valiant commanded so that only he and the other knight (plus Morgana) could hear him. There was a malicious glint in his eyes as the snakes hissed and bit Sir Derek on his neck.

The poor knight stayed on the ground, unconscious, as Sir Valiant faced the cheering crowd that was oblivious what went on in those mere seconds.

Morgana woke up with a start, panting and trying to convince herself that it was probably nothing.

The very next day, her dream came true, except, she couldn't see the snakes biting the knight. Later that afternoon she went to visit Gaius for a sleeping tonic and to secretly check on Sir Derek. She observed the patient and tried not to gasp when she saw the snake bite on the man's neck.

]_[ ]_[ ]_[

"So, who won the tournament?" Arthur asked, the moment he entered Morgana's chambers.

Morgana was sitting in front of the mirror, with her maidservant, Gwen just finishing up her hair. "Thank you, Gwen." She smiled at Gwen, giving her tasks for the morning, ignoring Arthur for the time being, who impatiently waited by the door.

"Why don't you ask Uther?" Morgana questioned, the moment Gwen slipped out the door with a laundry basket in hand.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Just . . ." Arthur shook his head. "No."

Morgana shrugged. "Alright."

"Who won?" He demanded once more.

"A knight named Valiant." She answered, trying not to look uncomfortable as she said his name.

"I bet I could beat him." Arthur muttered.

"Don't be so sure. He seemed pretty good. He killed every one of his opponent."

"I'm the best knight in the kingdom, of course I can beat him!"

Morgana rolled her eyes. "And here come his arrogant side." She muttered under her breath while Arthur kept blabbering off about how great of a fighter he is.

]_._._[

 **A/N:** _Hello everyone! I'm back! So what did you think? Good? Bad? Okay? Tell me in the reviews. I really love seeing those. :D Too bad Arthur wasn't in the tournament, but you know? He was injured. Hopefully you guys like all the bickering from Morgana and Arthur, I know that I enjoyed writing it. :D_

 _Oh, and, thank you guys so much for the reviews and the follows and favorites. I really appreciate it!_

 _Soooooo, see you soon! Oh, and leave a review and tell me what you think so far!_


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